When the ground shook all of a sudden, the Raute living in the jungle ran helter-skelter in panic. Soon, 145 people from the Raute community gathered at one place to discuss what had happened. However, they could not conclude that it was earthquake.
To their children's queries about the tremors, they said that fish living underground had moved. That night, they could not sleep properly, according to Dhan Bahadur Shahi, an elder of the community.However, a week later, they learnt from locals from a nearby village that it was an earthquake. They were astonished at being told that hundreds had died and houses in Kathmandu had been damaged.
After hearing all about the quake devastation, the Raute, who were continuing to live quite normally in the jungle despite the tremors, have all of a sudden become terrified. They left their settlements and started living in makeshift tents on the banks of the Karnali River.
The Raute, who always stood together as a community, are now a divided lot due to fear of aftershocks from the powerful earthquake. A group of them has moved to Kimdikhan in Lyatibindhyasaini VDC-1, which has easy access to an open, safe place. Another group has moved into the hills and dense forests of Singaudi VDC-5. The first group is living on fish from the nearby Ramghatkhola. The second group has taken to hunting, it is learnt.
The Raute usually change their settlements once every one month to three months.
"I have heard that the Nepali people are now living under tents, but we Raute have always lived under tents," said Surya Narayan Shahi, a Raute community leader. "The Raute and others have now become equal."
"If our allowances are given to us in time, we are thinking of helping the quake victims even if it means going hunger for a day," he added.
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